Night Views from Higashi-Rokko Observatory

Among Kansai’s car enthusiasts, Royu Driveway is a household name. It’s made plenty of appearances on this blog, too.

Car enthusiasts may associate Royu more with early mornings and daytime drives, but it’s also a famous night-view spot in the Kansai region.

From the observatory, at an elevation of 645 meters, you can take in sweeping views across the Osaka Plain, from Osaka to Kobe. The parking spaces are lined up along the south side of the observatory, so you can enjoy the night view without even leaving your car. It’s said to be one of the best places in Japan to take in a night view from the comfort of your car.

＊Image source: yakei.jp: Higashi-Rokko Observatory, Royu Driveway

Incidentally, Higashi-Rokko Observatory made headlines for a while after serving as a filming location for the hugely popular TV drama *Hanzawa Naoki*, which aired on Japanese terrestrial television in 2013.

My husband has been making trips there for some time, hoping to capture the perfect shot of his car against the night view. So far, though, he hasn’t managed to get a photo he’s happy with.

Photographing Our Car Against the Night View

Of course, you can’t count on a beautiful night view every time. Just last month, it was sunny at the foot of the mountain, but Royu Driveway’s Twitter account reported “snow.” Even when the weather is fine below, clouds often roll in by the time you reach Royu.

Apparently, the clearest views come on the night after heavy rain, when the sky clears completely and the air turns crisp. But those conditions don’t line up every time. Even though we live close to Royu, getting a clear, unobstructed view of the night lights is no easy feat.

And even when the view is beautiful, the observatory tends to draw a crowd (well, of course it does! lol). You might not be able to park in the perfect spot, or other cars may end up all over your shot, making it impossible to get the photo you wanted.

The other day, my husband got home from work early and announced:

“I’m going to head up to Royu for a bit. The air is so clear today—I might be able to get a great shot of the car with the night view!”

He headed out, camera in hand, full of enthusiasm. About an hour later, he came home, and I asked, “How did it go?”

“No luck. The night view was beautiful, but there were so many cars that I couldn’t get a decent shot.”

He sounded disappointed. Here’s one of the photos he took that night. (The top image is from that visit, too.)

I think it looks beautiful, but my husband apparently isn’t satisfied at all. He says he’ll try again. Honestly, what exactly is he aiming for? lol

Taking Our 911 to See Royu’s Night Views

Then came last weekend. It was literally a cloudless, blue-sky day, and warm enough for short sleeves, so we decided to take the family out to a park in our 911.

The girls had a wonderful time running along the beach, playing at the water’s edge, and making the most of the playground nearby. By the time we were ready to head home, it was getting dark. We were saying, “It’d be a shame to go straight home after taking the 911 out,” when my husband suggested:

“Want to go up to Royu? The weather’s fantastic, and there isn’t a cloud in the sky. The night view might be beautiful.”

So we changed plans and headed for Royu. I was excited, thinking, “Tonight has to be the night we finally get to see Royu at its best!” But just after we passed the Royu Driveway toll booth, the wind began to pick up.

The full moon had been so clear just moments earlier. Before we knew it, thick clouds had covered the sky, and the moon had disappeared completely.

This was bad. Really bad (-_-). My husband said:

“See? This always happens when I come with you, Mina. It’s like the mountain gods are angry or something. lol”

And, well, he might have had a point… As we climbed higher, dark clouds gathered, strong winds howled, and the trees lining the road swayed violently. By the time we reached Higashi-Rokko Observatory, a light haze had begun to obscure the night view.

Seriously—why does this always happen? (-_-)

We’d come all this way, so I tried to get out and take at least one photo. But the wind was so strong and bitterly cold that stepping outside was out of the question.

“What should we do? We paid ¥410 to get up to the observatory, but there’s no point staying here… Should we just head back?”

And so, after spending just two minutes at the observatory, we turned around and drove back down the mountain. The weather gradually improved as we got closer to the foot of the mountain, and by the time we were back down, the sky had cleared completely. Honestly, why does it always turn out like this?

Still, Royu’s night views really are beautiful, so I hope we’ll get another chance to try again soon.